Phantom Dance Partner
by Blaidd Louveteau
Summary: Contains spoilers from Episode VIII: The Last Jedi. Just another Kylo/Rey story inspired by THAT scene. Reviews welcome, more chapters to come.


Ben turned to the sink to wash his face then paused, seeing his slowly healing scar. Snoke treated it as evidence of his shame, but Ben wasn't ashamed to have been beaten by the young woman. She had had a terrifying fire in her eyes that night that looked like it could burn right through him that both frightened and fascinated him. Ben knew he was lucky to have come out of the fight with his life, but the raging intensity in her was such a contrast to the empty coldness within him that he envied her as much as he feared her.

"I'd rather not do this now," said a voice. He looked through the mirror but saw no one reflected in the room behind him. Turning, he saw Rey standing just a few feet away, looking full of the passionate rage that seemed to consume her whenever she saw him.

"I didn't want this either," said Ben defensively. He had reacted to the annoyance in her voice, but truthfully he was not disappointed to see her and to get another chance to examine her. He wondered if he was making this happen after all, or if it was just a coincidence that she appeared as he was thinking about her.

"Could you at least put on a cowl or something?" she said, her eyes glancing briefly below his. Ben resisted looking down at his naked torso and pretended he hadn't heard her. She was intimidated by him, frightened even, and he didn't want to lose that power over her. He felt so weak in her presence he needed whatever strength he could get.

"Why is this happening?" he asked her, taking a step closer. Could they physically touch one another? She had tried to shoot him earlier and it had seemed to rupture the connection, but was it worth trying to attack her now? If Snoke found out he had missed this opportunity, he might not be given another chance. Still, Ben did not reach for a weapon.

"I don't know." She didn't back up.

"We seem to be connected somehow."

"Ben, I think I'm supposed to help you." Her face softened and this time she took a step closer. The anxiety he was used to seeing in her face relaxed, and the fire behind her eyes calmed into a gentle smoulder.

"Help me do what?" He knew what she meant, she was always talking about the same thing. The same thing his father, his mother, and his uncle had always talked about. Finding the light within him, beating the darkness. But he wanted to keep her talking.

He had taken another step closer and she paused, planning what to do next. She looked confused, like many thoughts were crowding her mind at once.

"I can help bring you back," she said slowly. Now she took a step closer.

"Rey," he said simply, trying out the name he had spoken so few times. The closer they got the more he could examine her face: the arched eyebrows, the pointed chin, the tall cheekbones, and the still-blazing eyes.

She reached out her hand. He stepped once more towards it, fighting the instinctive desire to take it by questioning what it would mean. He felt an intense energy between her hand and his and found his was moving without his willing it. He let it go. Their fingers touched. Rey recoiled just a fraction at first, her face showing surprise like an electric shock. But she overcame it and relaxed, gliding her hand fully over his.

They locked into each other's eyes, faces close. Ben watched Rey's slightly parted lips and wondered why she seemed out of breath. He looked into her eyes and felt a kind of force pulling him in. He resisted.

Rey, though, came closer. She looked with curiosity into his own eyes, looking for something hidden there. He lowered his head towards her just an inch, making it easier for her to see him.

Eyes still open and interlocked with his, she kissed him. Just the faintest brush at first, they shared a breath, air moving out of his body and into hers. Then he wrapped his lips around hers and pressed more firmly, his hand settling on her neck. They held the kiss, unmoving, for a moment that was both still and teeming with energy. Then Ben, realising what was happening, pulled away and looked into her face in sheer surprise.

He saw the surprise mirrored in Rey's face before she disappeared, leaving him alone again in his room.


End file.
